Dustin's November 28 Letter with Picture

2011 November 28

Dear Mom,

My week was good. Angel Contreras Quispe was baptized on Saturday! It was a great service. I will try to send pictures but right now it is not letting me :( To answer questions first: I think the name Carter Dustin Brinck amazing! My investigators... some are doing great, others good, others ok, and some bad. But we`re gonna focus in the great and good. There is the family Chavez that has been coming to church for the last 3 weeks and will get married in December and baptized. We just got to hope and pray the papers get here in time. Other families are also doing well and I will do my best to do my duty and help them come unto Christ. My companion.... I don`t really have words for it but we are going to get better. He is just a very stubborn child who didn`t finish high school cause he doesn`t like to be told what to do or how to do it. Makes it a little hard to teach him anything, but we`ll find a way. We will find a way. As for Christmas, the only thing that I would love is two (or more) big bottles of Sweet Baby Ray`s BBQ sauce. Other than that, there isn`t anything of great need. One pair of my shoes ( the Eccos) are destroyed, but I heard that all Eccos have a two year warranty that if you send a picture of your shoes destroyed for natural causes they will send you a new pair for free to anywhere in the world. If you could investigate that issue I can send a picture. But for now I am fine with shoes, the Rockports are troopers and my boots will last a lifetime.

I am glad and happy to hear of all the holiday festivities. It makes me happy to know that all is well back home and permits me to work hard all week and never worry about home. The pictures are great!!! The letters you send get here in about 10 days and I get them every week or every other week (or I WOULD get them) Haha ha. And here in Lima I can get what I need and the mail gets here way faster than in the jungle. I hope I answered all the questions, and if not let me know.

I am so happy to be on a mission and I love being in the service of God. The Peruvian people are awesome and have earned a place in my heart forever. The Lord Jesus Christ lives and nothing will stop Him from accomplishing the work and the glory. I love you Mom

Love,

Elder Dustin Divis

P.S. When you see Riley Peper tell him I say hi. I tried to send a picture. Let me know if you got it.

Dustin's November 21st Letter

2011 November 21
Mom,
Hope all is well. My week went well. I now have a new companion, Elder Ñurinda. He is from Nicaragua, and has 3 months in the mission. He is very shy and doesn`t talk much, especially in front of people. A little bit of a problem cause that`s kinda what we do all day every day, but we`re working on it :) Grandma wrote me and I ask her if Riley Peper got back from his mission in Oklahoma. If you find out I would love to know. The time is flying by and I am taking all the advice that I can get. Dad wrote me last week and I learned a lot from what he communicated with me. I love being a missionary and teaching families is the greatest. This Saturday Angel Contreras will be baptized. He is super excited and even brought his kid to church yesterday. A family will hopefully get married on December 17th. We are just waiting for their birth certificates to arrive, but they are ready to get married and baptized as a family. I`ll be sure to keep you updated. Well, I think that is about all for this week. But I was studying this week and I learned a ton about one of the most precious gifts we have from God, the Holy Ghost. The feeling, thoughts and impressions that he gives us are undeniable, and unforgettable. I love what we learn from God the Father, and Jesus Christ in Doctrine and Covenants. I learned a ton from sections 6, 9 and 10, and, well all the scriptures. We must learn to Recognize and follow this promptings and become attuned to the spirit and he will lead, guide and protect us in all things spiritual and temporal. Today in the morning we went to drop off our clothes and I always bring my keys and a little bit of money, and I will tell you the rest next week.
Love
Elder Divis

Dustin's November 14 Letter with Pictures

2011 November 14

Dear Mom,

Glad you had a good week and that you all stayed safe. I am sure that the new china hutch is very exciting. Where are you planning on putting it? That`s exciting to know that it has already snowed there. I guess you`re all in for a long winter, eh? I`ll be sure to keep your safety present in my daily prayers. I sent pictures! We had a baptism on Saturday and all went swell and this week was ward conference and I liked it quite a bit. We are striving every day to help the families we are teaching to earn eternal blessing and to find more families too. I am a little jealous that Jordan got to play flag football. I always loved the thanksgiving turkey bowls :) I hope all is well at home and I really enjoy your testimony mom. Thanks for the example you have given me and all the priceless lessons.

Love,

Elder Divis

Baptism of Marcelo 

 Elder Divis at the Temple in Lima

Baptism of Nadia (Marcelos mom)

Dustin's Testimony

Dustin’s Testimony November 2011

I know that God lives and loves us. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He has made it possible that all man be saved if the but submit to the will of the Father just has our Lord has done and continues to do so. Through the Atonement we find mercy, and through the commandment we earn justice. I have felt and know that the family is fundamental in the Great Plan of Happiness. Being alone in a place full of total peace and perfect harmony is not our goal. We have to find this place and bring others unto it. I can`t do it alone but the Lord has given me the way I can be exalted. The salvation is personal, but the exaltation is a group effort. I testify before all men that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, prepared from before the foundation of this world to bring many unto the sweet and simple truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am a son of God and a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am certain that if we but obey the words of the living prophets we will find protection from all evil and danger. Thomas S Monson is a prophet called of God, who holds the priesthood keys in order to bring about the work of God on this earth. We do not have to wait until after this life to enjoy the blessings promised by our Heavenly Father but we can enjoy them within the walls of our own home and in the House of the Lord built on earth to edify in heaven. These things I testify as a representative of Jesus Christ and in His holy name, Amen.

Dustin's November 7th Letter

2011 November 7th

Dear Mom,

 My week went well. I have been even more exhausted the last few days but that is a good thing right. One of the families we are teaching finally came to church yesterday and it helped them a ton. They are very excited to get married and baptized, hope all goes well for them. Last week the dad of the family got assaulted. His head got beat up pretty bad and they took his wallet. He didn`t have any money so that was good and they didn`t take his cell or anything else just the empty wallet. The good thing is that because of this he is now even more determined to go to church and endure to the end. It is a great family. We are also teaching other families that are progressing slowly but surely and we are continually searching and finding more amazing families. My goal is to get to the point where we are only teaching families, like this we will only baptize families, and the kingdom of God will be edified. Like the prophets have taught, when we live the Gospel principles in our home we are preparing for and living eternal and heavenly laws. Like this, we create a little piece of heaven in our homes. Without the family we cannot prepare ourselves sufficiently for exaltation or enter into this highest level of living. I am not satisfied with just baptizing people, but with baptizing families that together can learn, grow, and prepare themselves for eternal life. I encourage all to appreciate, protect, love, and strengthen the family. It is fundamental in the Great Plan of Happiness. I love my family. We are not strangers but members of the family of God (see Ephesians 2:19). The family is the most important social unit in this life and in the eternities. If you look in the organization of the church in True to the Faith, first we find the God head, then the First Presidency, then the FAMILY, then the 12 Apostles. As we missionaries we must always strive to find, teach, baptize, and confirm families. Thanks family for making me who I am and helping me achieve my potential!

Thanks for the good news and I wish you the best in work, seminary, and health. Say hi to the family, friend and ward for me :) I truly love you mom!

Elder Divis

 P.S. Did you send me those pictures that I mentioned two weeks ago?

Gavin is growing up super-fast! I think he`s already twice the size. It will be great to see all my nieces and nephews

Dustin's October 31st Letter

October 31, 2011

Dear Mom,

I am glad to hear that you made it home safely but sorry that you`re sick. Hope you get better soon. I loved all the pictures you sent from your blog, Germany looks beautiful! My week went quite well :) Marcelo, Nadia`s son, is getting baptized the 12. So that should be good. We have had a few difficulties with the families we are teaching but nothing that the Spirit can`t handle. The families that were going to get married are having problems. One of them, Damer and Monica won`t be able to get married in Nov. cause his work won’t give him any time of for 4 months and the other family the daughters that are from another church guilt tripped them into going to their church. The dad is super legit and reads the Book of Mormon still.  We’ll see if further along they begin to progress again. But the good news is that we found 2 new families and Damer and Monica might be able to get married in December if all goes well. I have gain a true testimony of the Great Plan of Happiness here. The family is so essential and great that I can`t express it with my limited vocabulary. I love you and appreciate all you do for me and our family.

Love,

Elder Divis